Archer appreciates cultural impact made by Jackie

ST. PETERSBURG -- Chris Archer believes Jackie Robinson Day is a special day. He just wishes that his third start of the season fell on Friday instead of the day before.

"Wearing No. 42 and playing, I don't think it gets any more special, especially for me," Archer said. "Just knowing not only what he did for baseball, but what he did for the civil rights movement as a whole."

ST. PETERSBURG -- Chris Archer believes Jackie Robinson Day is a special day. He just wishes that his third start of the season fell on Friday instead of the day before.

"Wearing No. 42 and playing, I don't think it gets any more special, especially for me," Archer said. "Just knowing not only what he did for baseball, but what he did for the civil rights movement as a whole."

The Rays will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Friday, along with the rest of baseball. Major League Baseball's annual celebration will commemorate the 69th anniversary of Robinson's breaking of the color barrier in baseball.

"The impact that he had on baseball is everlasting," Archer said. "He changed this game. It's not only America's pastime now, it's like a worldly or a universal pastime because he opened up the doors for people of all races and all colors to play. Not just black Americans, but Dominican, Cuban, Asian. There's such an influx of cultures and ethnicities now, and it's all due to him."

All teams will wear Robinson's No. 42, which Tampa Bay's players have worn each year on the anniversary since 2008.

In conjunction with the anniversary, the Rays are offering a special of two tickets for $42 on Friday, a savings of more than 50 percent.